The Amish Heater

There is nothing Amish about an Amish heater.For one thing, it is plugged into the wall. And from my understanding, the Amish tend to avoid electricity. In my case, the electric cord is stretched taunt from the back wall of the living room to bring the heater closer to the couch (or bed, depending on the time of day).

The cord is attached to a wooden freestanding 'mantle.' This mantle is wooden(or imitation wood, I cannot be sure because of the heavy sheen). It encloses a metal cage with a glass window looking out. Inside, a fake fire glows. It is like a diorama from a natural history museum a million years from now. "This is called fire. Humans used wood (a carbon-based material derived from large ancient plants called trees)to fuel the fire." Fake embers, probably fiberglass, glow as orange and red lights are projected onto a screen behind, twisting and spinning like a real old fashion Amish fire. The whole time, the heater emits a noise similar to a muted hair dryer, and blowing hot air in a similar fashion.

And that's how we will stay warm this winter. There is a fireplace (authentic wood burning) but it is broken. We may get it fixed, so that real fire can supplement the fake.